Albus Dumbledore and the Boy Who Believed
by Aaron Netsky
Summary: A young man's interest in life is reignited by a peculiar visitor. Rated T to be safe.


As the long line of mourners filed past Albus Dumbledore, and he thanked them for coming and for their condolences, he neither knew nor cared if they could tell that he could see none of them. He was fulfilling his social responsibility to them, but their presence at the funeral probably meant more to them than it did to him, though he could not think of why that would be. Albus had more important things to think about. Those things were standing next to him.

His brother, Aberforth, who unlike Albus was sharing genuine moments with each of their guests, was still fighting with Albus about whether or not he would be returning to Hogwarts to finish his education. They had agreed to put aside the disagreement until after the funeral. There would be plenty of time to discuss it, then, and nothing to distract them.

On the other side of Aberforth, Ariana, silently shaking the hands of everyone who walked by, as Aberforth introduced them. No one really knew Ariana, as they did Albus and Aberforth, and this had turned out to be perfect for the circumstances. Albus had been afraid of what might happen if Ariana attended, and wanted to bewitch her to keep her under control, but Aberforth would not have it, and promised to keep a strict eye on her. Like the disagreement about school, Albus had not wanted an extended fight, and had reluctantly agreed to let Aberforth have his way. Albus was quick enough to take control of the situation if need be.

Thing number three on Albus's mind was Elphias Doge, probably the only one who had been offended by Albus's lack of involvement with the funeral guests, but also the only one who would understand where it stemmed from. They had been so close. Another day, and the wonders of the world would have been theirs. Then, Ariana.

The meeting house in Godric's Hollow was fairly small, appropriate for such a village, and simple. It was essentially a box filled with rows of seats and, in front of those seats, a raised platform. The floor and the walls were made of wood, the windows of six panes of glass each, and while the roof came to a point, the ceiling stretched out flat five feet above Albus's head.

Albus almost did not realize that he had welcomed the last mourner, but Aberforth put a gentle hand on his shoulder, and as he looked at his siblings he saw the sadness in their eyes he could not bring himself to feel, and the concern that he resented them feeling for him. Taking a deep breath, he lead them to the front of the room, where they took the last three seats in the front row, and looked up at the closed casket on the platform.

"Will you be alright with her," Aberforth whispered to Albus, "while I go and talk about mum?"

Not looking at either of them, Albus reassured his younger brother, "I can handle her."

He knew it was not the way Aberforth wanted to hear it, but they both knew what he meant, however they felt about it being necessary. Aberforth rose and stepped up onto the platform, taking his place behind the podium in front of the casket. Ariana moved over next to Albus and leaned on his shoulder. Aberforth saw this, and a tear ran down his cheek just before he started speaking.

"Thank you all for coming," he began, and before he went on, Albus took note of the lack of sniffling going on behind him. "I know our mother was not the most social person. Few of you really knew her, and that was by her own design. It was for the sake of our family, which, with our father gone, was entirely her responsibility."

Albus listened to the reminder that these people behind him could not have come to say goodbye to a woman they could not have known and felt a fresh wave of resentment. A funeral was not supposed to be a waste of time. He could feel his sister crying into his shoulder, and he hoped Aberforth would not be much longer.

"Similarly, few of you know my sister, in fact you probably met her for the first time today. But for Albus, Ariana, and I, your presence is touching, and reassuring. Whether you met us in the village, in the shop, or at school, you made us feel welcome from the time we moved here, even when it did not seem like our family…cared about being welcomed into a community. But we appreciate your effort, because we're…we're alone now, and your friendship will certainly be important in keeping us going." More tears began to stream down Aberforth's face, and he had to take a deep breath before he could finish.

"When something like this happens so suddenly, that is when it is hardest to cope with. When you started bringing food to a house you'd barely approached, when you offered to take care of our goats or run errands for us…we felt less alone than ever. I know our mother, hard though she was, would be just as appreciative of how you reached out to help her children. I'm sorry you didn't get to know her as we did. She was strong, independent, caring, and brilliant. She brought us here because she knew this was a safe place to be. Thank you for that."

Albus waited for Aberforth to take charge of Ariana again before he stood up. He would not be giving a speech. Pointing his wand at the casket, he gave it a swish and a flick, and the casket rose two inches off of the table it had been resting on. Aberforth took Ariana's hand, and the two of them rose to open the meetinghouse door, as Albus guided the casket beyond the platform, down the center aisle of the meetinghouse, and out the door. Aberforth and Ariana followed him, and Elphias Doge, Bathilda Bagshot and the rest of the guests followed them.

In the cemetery, Albus found the plot he had picked out, a large pile of dirt next to it and a stone at the head of it that read:

Kendra Dumbledore

1851-1899

Albus carefully lowered the casket into the hole as the guests from the meetinghouse were still arriving. There were fewer than at the meetinghouse, and Albus had to keep his wand and the casket steady as he realized most of them had probably just come to try to find out something about his mysterious family. It had seemed a strangely large crowd for a woman like his mother.

The casket touched its final resting place, and Albus released the spell. Aberforth, still holding Ariana's hand, Elphias and Bathilda stepped forward, raising their wands, and the large pile of dirt to the side of the hole began to trickle into it, covering Kendra Dumbledore. Albus did not help with this part, but stood back, his long black robes flapping in the summer breeze. It did not take long to finish burying his mother.

When it was over, Aberforth thanked everyone once again for coming, and Bathilda announced that there would be a reception at her house. Albus imagined that even fewer people would attend that.

Even fewer people were at the reception, and most of the discussion that Albus shared with the guests was to do with his impressive academic work. Elphias had disappeared. He was probably packing.

When the event and the day was finally over, Albus thanked Bathilda for her help, and set off down the road with Aberforth and Ariana. When they reached their own house, Albus entered first and immediately started up the stairs.

"Don't you think Ariana handled herself very well today? Given…everything?"

Albus looked around and saw his siblings, two tall black forms in the doorway, framed by the early evening light, looking up at him. All he could bring himself to do before heading up the rest of the stairs was nod. Just before he closed his own bedroom door, he heard the front door close, and through his floor he could hear Aberforth talking to Ariana, encouraging her.

Albus sat down at his desk, in front of which was a window that faced the front of the house. He watched the sun set, then he lit a candle with his wand, shed his robes, and picked up one of his books. He sat in bed reading until he fell asleep.

As soon as he lost consciousness, the flame went out.


End file.
